Albert s



(No Model.)

A. S. HICKS.

SHOE BUTTONER.

No. 459,612. Patented Sept. 15, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT S. HICKS, OF LIVINGSTON, MONTANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO LEE EISENBERG, OF SAME PLACE.

SHOE-BUTTONER."

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 459,612, dated September 15, 1891. Application filed December 24, 1890- Serial No. 375,759. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT S. HICKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Livingston, in the county of Park and State of Montana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoe -Buttoners; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates, generally, to buttoners, and particularly to improvements in such devices as are especially designed for use in buttoning shoes, but which maybe employed for buttoning gloves; and it consists in the peculiarities of construction hereinafter fully disclosed in the description, drawings, and claims. I

The objects of my invention are, first, to provide a shoe-buttoner by which shoes can be buttoned quickly and easily without tearing the buttons therefrom or injuring the button-holes, as is usually incident to the employment of the devices now in common use; second, to provide a buttoner which will avoid some of the strain brought to bear upon buttons and threads when ordinary button-hooks are used; third, to provide a buttoner which will secure control of buttons when movedin any direction and which will not necessarily need to be twisted, turned, or made to describe the customary arc of a circle by which buttons are usually forced into the opposite button-holes; fourth, to provide a shoe-buttoner of such construction that after the buttons have been once caught in the hook they will be so firmly held that it will be impossible for them to turn over the side of said hook or to slip out of the recess or groove formed in the inner surface or side thereof, and, fifth, to provide a device of this character which will be very simple in construction, strong, readily operated, and cheap to manufacture. These objects are accomplished by the improved shoe-buttoner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which the same reference-numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts, and in which- Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a single-hook shoe-buttoner. provided with my invention; Fig. 2, a similar view of another embodiment of myinvention which is applied to a double-hook shoe-buttoner, or one having a hook at each end of its stem; Figs. 3 and 4., enlarged detail views of the front and rear sides, respectively, of the hook of a shoe-buttoner embodying myinvention; Fig. 5, detail views of a handle and ring which maybe used with my single-hook shoe-buttoner, and Fig.

6 a detail View of my double-hook shoe-buttoner provided with a handle.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates a stem made of a piece of wire or other similar material, which is bent into a loop at one end or both ends, as shown, for

forming the hook 2. In the inner surface of the bend or curve of this hook is formed the recess or groove 3, which is composed of the horizontal bottom 4 and the vertical wall or rim 5, and within said recess or groove the periphery of the body of the button is received and firmly held without the possibility of its slipping out of or being otherwise displaced from its seat. The under side of the hook 2 is formed with a plane or fiatsurface 6, so that it may have smooth and quick passage into and out of button-holes.

The embodiment and manner of use of the form of my invention which is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 6 are the same as those incident to the buttoner shown in Fig. 1, with the exceptions that the former is provided with a hook at each of the ends of its single stem 1, that it is equally capable of use with the right and left hand, and that itcan be moved upwardly, downwardly, and straight out or at right angles for positively drawing the buttons through their holes. The stem 1 of the single-hook buttoner may be either provided with the handle '7 or formed with the ring 8, while the double-hook buttoner may be either provided with the handle 9 or manufactured and used without a handle, as preferred. These handles can he made from any suitable material, such as wood, horn, or different.

kinds of metal, as desired.

In addition to what is obvious and explained above in relation to the operation and advantages of my improved shoe-buttoner, it may be further stated that when it is desired to fasten a shoe the hook is passed through the button-hole and placed in proper position to catch around and firmly hold the periphery of the body of the button in its recess or groove and permit said button to be easily and positively drawn out through the corresponding button-hole, instead of having the hook turning or twisting and catching below the shank or eye of the button or passing around or between the threads by which it is sewed to the shoe, as is usually the fact or result when the ordinary shoe-buttoner hook is employed; that the formation of the recess or groove in the inner surface of the bend of the hook permits the easy entrance of the body of the button into the same and at the same time prevents said button from displacement while being drawn through the button-hole; that the fiat under surface of the hook permits of its free or smooth and quick passage into and out of button-holes, and that by the employment of either of the embodiments of my improved shoe-buttoner the'too frequent occurrence of the ordinary hooks catching into the sides'of button-holes and tearing the material or binding-threads is wholly obviated.

Having thus fully described the peculiarities of construction of my invention, its operation and advantages, what I claim as new 1. A shoe-button er provided with a buttonhook at its end which is formed with a recess or groove in the inner surface of its bend for receiving and holding the periphery of the body of a button, substantially as described.

2. A shoe-buttoncr provided with a buttonhook at its end which is formed with a recess or groove in the inner surface of its bond for receiving and holding the periphery of the body of a button, said recess or groove being composed of a horizontal bottom and a vertical wall or rim, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. A shoe-buttoner provided with a buttonhook at its end which is formed with a plane or fiat under surface and with a recess or groove in the inner surface of its bend for receiving theperiphery of the body of abutton, substantially as and for the purpose described. v

4. A shoe-buttoner provided with a single stem having a button-hook at each of its ends, substantially as described.

5. A shoe-buttoner provided with a single stem having a button-hook at each of its ends which is formed with a recess or groove in the inner surface of its bend for receiving and holding the periphery of the body of a button, substantially as described.

6. A shoe-buttoner provided with a single stem having abutton-hook at each of its ends which is formed with a recess or groove in the inner surface of its bendfor receiving and holding the periphery of the body of a button. said recess or groove being composed of a horizontal bottom and a vertical wall or rim, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. A shoe-buttoner provided with a single stem having a button-hook at each of its ends which is formed with a plane orfiat under surface and with a recess or groove in the inner surface of its bend for receiving the periphery of the body of a button, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALBERT S. HICKS.

Witnesses:

J OSIAH O. VILAS, DANIEL A. McCAw. 

